A crescent moon above Luxor Temple in Luxor, Egypt. (Image credit: SW Photography via Getty Images)

The total solar eclipse on Aug. 2, 2027, has an ancient feel. It will certainly be a celestial event for the ages — at 6 minutes 23 seconds, it will feature the longest totality on land of the 21st century and the longest anywhere until 2114. However, its point of greatest eclipse occurs just a few miles from Thebes, the magnificent religious and political capital of ancient Egypt's Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom.

On the east bank of the mighty Nile is Luxor, the great city of the living, with its massive temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor. On its west bank is the city of the dead, which includes the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut. Modern Luxor, population 285,000, is set to become a focal point for eclipse chasers on Aug. 2, 2027, and will attract many thousands of international visitors.…